Online courses directory (801)

In the free online course Marketing Management – Analyzing Competitors and Customers, you will learn about the role of competitive analysis in marketing, and the importance of analyzing and comparing your company with its competitors for a successful business.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to the important features of competitor analysis by teaching about the different goals of marketing and how they fit into a company’s overall objectives. You will also study about the business strategy behind marketing, core business processes and core competencies.<br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to the PESTEL framework - how the different PESTEL factors can affect the way a company does business. You will also learn to conduct SWOT analysis and how it helps your business analyze itself with its competitors. You will also be introduced to additional methods that is used to analyze competitors and customers.<br /><br />This free course will be of great interest to business professionals, marketers and those who want to learn about how marketing can be approached in the wider business environment. <br />

In the free online course Marketing Management - Capturing Marketing Insights learn about how an organization can gain important information that is helpful for making marketing decisions. It’s essential for an organization to gather, sort, analyse, evaluate and distribute information accurately in order to be best informed on how to approach their marketing endeavours.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to the marketing information system and its importance for the marketing decision makers of a company. You will learn about the essential components that make up a marketing information system.<br /><br />Next, you will learn about different aspects of the marketing research process, marketing decision and marketing research problems and how they fit into the whole process of marketing research. You will also learn about various different types of marketing research, including exploratory research methods and techniques that can be used by an organization in order to gain deeper understanding of issues.<br /><br />This free course will be of great interest to business professionals, marketers and those who want to learn how an organization can capture marketing insights.

In the free online course Marketing Management - The Marketing Research Process, you will learn about different ways marketing research can be approached by an organization in order to gain valuable information to help in making marketing decisions.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to causal research and its different features. It describes about different forms of experimental and statistical design that can be used in research. You will learn about the importance of measurement and how it is used in marketing research. You will also learn how scaling works and be introduced to different types of scaling.<br /><br />Following that, this course will introduce you to the use of questionnaires in marketing research for obtaining information from respondents. You will be introduced to the sampling process and different sampling techniques with their features.<br /><br />In the end, you will learn about the data collection process, preparation and analysis for marketing research. You will get to know how data is collected and prepared in the marketing research process. This courses also teaches you about hypothesis testing is used in marketing research and different methods of data analysis that can be used in marketing research.<br /><br />This free course will be of great interest to business professionals, marketers and those who want to learn about the marketing research process. <br />

The free online course Diploma in Marketing Management provides a broad overview of marketing and marketing management. It also discusses ways to capture marketing insights in order to aid marketers in making decisions about their products or services.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to the process of marketing and core marketing concepts. You will learn about the marketing of products and services and how they differ. You will also learn about the theory behind modern marketing and how it has evolved over the years. Next, you will be introduced to competitor analysis and its important features. You will learn about marketing objectives, strategies, PESTEL framework, SWOT analysis and how they can be used in marketing.This course will also teach you the ways of doing competition and customer analyses.<br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to the marketing information system and its essential components and how it is used by marketers. You will also learn about the marketing research process, different types of marketing research and how it is used to capture marketing insights.<br /><br />Finally, you will learn different ways in which marketing research can be approached. You will learn about measurement, scaling and how they are used in marketing research. You will also get introduced to the process of sampling and the features of different sampling techniques. You will also learn how data is collected and prepared in order to be ready for analysis and data analysis methods.<br />

In this free course Introduction to Excel 2013 Power BI you will learn about the Power Business Intelligence (BI) tools you can add to Excel 2013. You will learn about using power query to import data from the Internet, and add that data to your Excel worksheet. This course also teaches you to display your data with Power Views and Power Maps.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to the Power BI tools and setting them up in Microsoft Excel 2013. It teaches to create a power query to get data from a web page, where you will also learn about modifying your power query and adding the data from the query to your Excel worksheet. This course also includes learning about preparing your data model for creating a power view and adding an url image to your data tables.<br /><br />You will learn about the different visualizations you can use to display your data in power view and interacting with reports in power view to get them to display different data. You will also learn about tiling a card report so it won’t affect your other reports in the same power view, and how to add a simple map to display in your power view.<br /><br />Finally, this course will teach you to create power maps and about data you need to modify in your data model to activate it. You will learn that power maps uses Bing maps and you will need geographical information in your data model for power maps to work properly. You will also learn about creating new scenes and displaying your data on a power map. You will learn about setting the transition between your scenes and creating a video out of your finished power map.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to business, accounting and finance professionals who wish to expand their knowledge of Microsoft Excel 2013 and learn about displaying their Excel worksheet data for more dynamic and engaging presentations. <br /><br />Prerequisites: The learner should have basic skills in using Microsoft Excel 2013 and an understanding of data relationships. <br />

This free online course enables graduates to become certified Alison tutors, trained and qualified to facilitate Alison course study groups. <br /><br />Participants will explore the impact Alison has on the world of online learning and understand how Alison courses have empowered more than one million graduates worldwide. <br /><br />Grounded in the principle that &quot;Everybody can be an expert in something&quot;, graduates of this course will gain practical project management, marketing and group facilitation skills and be able to list the pedagogical theories involved in managing successful peer-centred, tutor-lead study groups. <br /><br />Graduates will learn practical, useful marketing strategies for promoting and publicising tutor groups and how to maximise resources available to them and their learners in their own communities. <br /><br />Participants on this course will have access to a range of prepared support materials which will equip them to confidently run and manage Alison course tutor-lead study groups. They will be trained to identify and match relevant Alison courses with targeted learners thereby advancing their own and others’ career and business opportunities. <br /><br />Tutor recipe cards will guide prospective graduates of this course through the weekly, 6 week meeting cycles where they will explore the various learner issues involved, such as suitability of course content, access to technology and studying outside of group meetings. <br /><br />Participants of this course will be assessed prior to certification. In addition, they will have to perform a practical task whereby they successfully guide at least 5 Alison learners through a specific learning path. <br /><br />This course is highly recommended for committed Alison members who would like the opportunity to significantly increase their business and professional development potential through helping other Alison learners.<br /><br />

The free online course Diploma in Databases and T-SQL will introduce you to the core concepts of databases and their structure. You will also learn about retrieving data from a database using Structured Query Language (SQL) and using Microsoft’s variant Transact-SQL (T-SQL). You will learn about queries, and various constraints and clauses you can include in them. The course also teaches about administrative tasks you can perform on a database, from security to dealing with errors.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to databases and the key components of a database structure - normalization and referential integrity. You will also learn about objects that make up your database and the datatypes that you can save data as. The course teaches you about the Data Definition Language and how to create, alter and delete databases.<br /><br />You will be introduced to DML or Data Manipulation Language. This course teaches you about retrieving data from a database with the SELECT statement. You will learn to apply functions and clauses to your SELECT statement, and how to update and delete data in a database. The course also teaches about security levels and applying security to your databases.<br /><br />Next, you will learn about T-SQL and using the SELECT statement to create queries. You will learn about the various data types, working with them and using NULL values in your database. It also includes sorting and removing duplicates, using joins and knowing about different types of joins. You will learn about using INTERSECT and EXCEPT in your queries, and other functions you can use in your queries.<br /><br />Finally, you will be introduced to subqueries and their function. You will learn to use apply operators, present your data with views, build temporary tables, and pivot your data. The course also includes methods for modifying and deleting data in database tables, as well as using batches, comments and declaring variables for your queries. You will learn how to create conditional branching and looping within your queries. Lastly, you will learn about errors in a database engine, and how to delete them.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to learners who wish to learn more about databases and the use of T-SQL to create queries for retrieving data from databases. <br />

In the free online course Health &amp; Safety for Scaffolds and Scaffolding Work learn about scaffolds and scaffolding work and how they are important for construction work to have a safe, stable work platform. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to scaffolds and how they are used for scaffolding work. You will learn about the duties and responsibilities different groups of people have when scaffolding work is being undertaken. You will learn about important steps that should be followed for ensuring that no one is exposed to health and safety risks. <br /><br />Next, you will learn about a variety of different types of scaffolds. You will learn about their features and when they are used. You will also learn about scaffolds that are only used for specific purposes.<br /><br />Finally, you will learn how to erect a scaffold safely to avoid any damages or injury. You will learn about control measures that are used for the tying of scaffolds. You will also learn about methods for anchoring scaffolds. You will learn about safe work practices that are used when dismantling scaffolds. You will learn common hazards and risk controls that can occur when performing scaffolding work.<br /><br />This free course will be of great interest to anyone who uses or plans to use scaffolds and scaffolding in the workplace. <br />

This free online course Visual Basic - Working with Classes, Scope and Namespaces introduces you to features of the Visual Basic programming language in order for you to create a more advanced application for the end user. You will learn about classes and methods, the difference between them, and their functions. You will also learn about adding new classes and creating an instance of a class.<br /><br />This course teaches you about working with the .NET framework class library which is an important asset of the Visual Basic program. You will learn to add a reference to a class defined in the .NET framework class library.<br /><br />This course will then inform you about the uses of scopes and modifiers and how they can affect the outcome of your code. You will become familiar with namespaces, learn how to work with arguments, and create and add references to assemblies.<br /><br />This course is video-based which will allow you work alongside the teacher in order for you to see first-hand how to write the code for your application. This video-based course will allow you to pause and rewind the video allowing you to learn the content at your own pace. This course is suitable for those with a basic knowledge of Visual Basic or those hoping to improve their skills in the programming language.<br />

This free online course Visual Basic - Working with Collections and Event-Driven Programming introduces you to how to use collections in Visual Basic and the difference between generic and nongeneric collections. You will learn to create your own dictionary and learn about its uses.<br /><br />This course will introduce you to LINQ, the two forms of it - query syntax and method syntax, the differences between them and when to use each of them in your code. You will also learn about Enumerations and the Select Case decision statement.<br /><br />The second module of this course will inform you on event-driven programming. You will learn about events and how they are used in Visual Basic. You will be able to handle exceptions that occur within an application and learn the best way to build applications that will not crash by using the ‘Try Catch’, ‘End Try’ code block. In the end, the course will guide you on the various software programs that you can learn about next in order for you to strengthen your skills as a software developer.<br /><br />This course is video-based; you will learn the content through step-by-step tutorials allowing you to see how the software works. You will be able to pause and rewind the videos to learn the content at your own pace. This course is suitable for learners who have previous experience using Visual Basic and software developers looking to enhance their learning on the programming language used in Visual Basic.

This free online Diploma in Visual Basic Programming course offers you a comprehensive review of the information you need to develop your own applications as a software developer. You will learn everything from installing Visual Studio onto your computer to formatting the way time displays in an application for an end user.<br /><br />With the rapid increase in the development of technology, there is more of a demand for software developers in the working industry. In this course, you will learn how to write your own code to create a functioning application for your designated end user. In a Step-by-step process, you will be taken through the different levels of learning Visual Basic. You will learn a number of different ways to write your code in order to get different outcomes for the end user. The course will also teach you the various ways of displaying your code, different statements and expressions, and everything you need to know about the .NET framework class library.<br /><br />This course will guide you through video tutorials which allows you to see how to write your code. You will be able to pause and rewind the videos which will allow you to learn the content at your own pace and therefore, ensuring you get the best learning experience from this Alison diploma course. This course will benefit those wishing to start a career as a software developer, students interested in learning about building applications, or software developers wishing to improve their skills on Visual Basic.<br />

In the free online course HTML5 Game Development - Gameplay and Multiplayer Proof of Concept you will be introduced to gameplay and how to add features such as magic ability and sound to your game. You will learn about setting up a quest system for a player to have a goal within the game and the process involved in creating an Azure website and constructing a server for you to host a multiplayer game on.<br /><br />The course begins by showing you how to add a magic system into your game. This course also teaches you about loading and adding sound to your game and creating a quest system that can chain together to form one large quest. You will also learn about creating and setting up a title and game over screen.<br /><br />Next, the course teaches you how to create and configure an Azure website and a server with Node.js, Express and Socket.IO to host your multiplayer game on. You will also learn about editing your game file to include a multiplayer facility and connecting your game to the server you created. Finally, you will learn about possible ways to further expand your game.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to those who wish to learn the basics of creating a multiplayer game and how to add additional elements such as magic, sound and quests to a game. <br />

In this free online course Diploma in HTML5 Game Development you will learn about creating video games for mobile platforms and web browsers. You will be introduced to the Apache Cordova platform and Enchant.js game engine, how to create a map and player character for your game and add interaction and a battle system into your game. You will also learn about making a proper plan and documentation.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to the Apache Cordova platform for building mobile applications. You will learn to create maps and images for maps. You will also learn to create player characters, adding controls to the character, add collisions and using Enchants built-in collision detection system.<br /><br />Next, you will learn to create and add an inventory system for the player character. You will also learn to create non-player characters (NPCs) and getting the player to interact with the NPCs. This course will also teach you to create shop menu for the player character to buy game items. It also teaches about using Enchants scene stack and to create battle system for player character to fight enemy NPCs.<br /><br />Next, you will learn to construct a proper plan for developing your game, and issues to be addressed during planning. You will learn about the proper documentation that game development companies implement as part of their projects.<br /><br />You will also learn about adding magic to game's battle system, setting up a menu system, end game screen, and adding sound effects. The course also teaches you to build Azure website, create a server using Node.js, Express and Socket.IO to host multiplayer features for your game, and to connect players to the server. You will learn about further ideas to develop and expand the game.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to those who wish to learn about developing video games or to further expand their programing knowledge.<br /><br />Prerequisites: Learners should have some knowledge of Java or JavaScript or computer programing.

In this free online course Python Programming - Working with Functions and Handling Errors you will learn about functions, how to create your own functions and how to use them. You will also learn about errors that can occur in your code. You will learn about using the try/ except statement to handle potential errors.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to functions and you will learn how to create your own functions and how to pass parameters into your functions.<br /><br />Next, you will learn about what type of errors you can get and about different methods for handling errors. You will learn about using the try/except statement to test pieces of code that may cause an error.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to those learners who wish to get started in programming and improve their ability to write programs using the Python programming language.<br /><br />Prerequisites: You will need to have completed the previous courses on programming with Python: 'Programming Concepts with Python', 'Python Programming - Working with Numbers, Dates and Time', 'Python Programming - Working with Complex Decisions and Events' and 'Python Programming - Working with Lists and Files'.<br />

In the free online course Programming Concepts with Python you will learn about programming concepts using the Python programming language. You will learn how to display text on screen and about reading user input into your program. You will also learn about creating variables and manipulating them using functions. You will learn that everyone makes mistakes when programming and you are shown solutions to help you find and fix those mistakes.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to what programming is and the possibilities of what you can create with programming. You will learn about the advantages of using Python to start learning how to program and you will be introduced to creating a Python project in Visual Studio. <br /><br />Next, the course teaches you about displaying text on screen using the print function. You will learn about the different variation of quotes that Python uses to contain your text, and how to get the user to input data. The course then introduces you to variables, what they are and how to create them. You will learn about manipulating variables using built-in functions. Finally, you will learn about Visual Studio's built-in feature called IntelliSense and its features and functions that will help you with your programming.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to all learners who would like to learn about programming concepts and how to write their own programs using the Python programming language.<br />

This free online course Introduction to Communication Skills will guide you through the basic rules which governs the communication in your everyday life. The course will look at how you interact with those around you, and help you to be more effective communicator. <br /><br />First, you will be introduced to the basics of communication. Concepts such as communication channels, interpretation, and barriers will be explained to you. You will also explore the basics of body language, and the context’s which affects your communications. <br /><br />You will also examine the important aspects of conversation. Listening is an important skill, and you will be walked through effective listening. You will also be shown techniques to help improve your listening ability and concentration. Speaking is also a vital part of conversation and the course will show you how to speak considerately and politely. The importance of silence within conversation is discussed, as is the importance of culture, context, and body language. <br /><br />This course will be of interest to professionals who are required to communicate as part of their job, either to customers or colleagues. It will also be of interest to anyone who is hoping to enhance their daily lives through improving their communication skills.

In this free course Stress Management – How Stress Affects Your Health you will learn about the different ways stress can affect your health. You will learn about the nervous system and how it induces stress and how the brain responds during a stressful situation. You will also learn how stress affects different organs. <br /><br />The course begins be explaining disorders that can be caused by stress and the symptoms to look out for. You will learn about the different parts of the brain and which of these parts are triggered by stress. You will also learn the role of the endocrine system during a stressful period and be able to explain how stress can have a number of effects on the immune system. <br /><br />The second module will delve into the psychiatric disorders that are associated with stress. You will be given real-life examples to help you further understand the effects of stress and explain how the immune system’s ability to fight of antigens is reduced when you are stressed. <br />This course is suitable for anyone wishing to learn more about how stress can be caused and how we respond to it. <br /><br />This free Alison course would suit students studying science and how the brain works or psychology. <br />

In this free course Stress Management - Dealing with Personal Stress you will be introduced to stress mapping and how to sensitize yourself to potential stressors in the environment. You will learn mays to manage your own stress such as writing a stress journal and analysing your own personal stress. Learning how to react with your own stressors will help you to cope more efficiently with stress and this course could help you to avoid stressful situations altogether.<br /><br />This course will also inform you on the difference between internal and external locus of control. You will be able to assess whether you have an internal or external locus of control and how this affects the decisions you make. <br /><br />Next, you will learn how to differentiate between stress and anxiety. You will learn how behaviours are related to anxious thoughts and how to manage these thoughts. You will also learn about assertiveness and how your reaction to different situations can be seen as aggressive or passive. This course will complete by informing you why addressing your stress will help you to overcome your stressors. <br /><br />This course will be of great interest to all learners who would like to learn techniques for dealing with personal stress.

In this free course Stress Management – Techniques for Coping with Stress you will learn about coping strategies that are helpful for managing stress and you will learn how to develop positive coping strategies. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to different types of coping strategies and explains how coping strategies differ from one individual to the next. You will learn about the difference between adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. You will also learn about the difference between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, and how to implement relaxation techniques to help you cope with stress. <br /><br />Next, you will learn how to use exercise to reduce stress. You will learn about the relationship between the brain and exercise, and the positive, long-term effects exercise can have on your health. The course will finish by informing you on how to create your own DIY program that will help you to identify stressors in your life.<br /><br />This course will be of great interest to all learners who would like to learn techniques for dealing with personal stress. <br />

This free online course Diploma in Stress Management offers you a comprehensive review of the principles associated with assessing and reducing your stress. You will learn about different types of stress, sources of stress, and personality factors associated with stress.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to stress and the history and genesis of stress research. You will learn about the differences between eustress and distress. You will also be able to explain the importance of how stress can be helpful to an individual. You will learn about the different types of stressors and why some people return to their resting rate sooner than others after a stressful situation. <br /><br />Stress can affect many people in different ways and therefore it is important to be able to recognise that what may work as a stress release for one individual may not work for another individual. The course explains disorders that can be caused by stress and the symptoms to look out for. You will learn about the different parts of the brain and which of these parts are triggered by stress. You will also learn the role of the endocrine system during a stressful period and be able to explain how stress can have a number of effects on the immune system. <br /><br />Next, you will learn how to differentiate between stress and anxiety. You will learn how behaviours are related to anxious thoughts and how to manage these thoughts. You will also learn about assertiveness and how your reaction to different situations can be seen as aggressive or passive.<br /><br />Finally, different types of coping strategies and explains how coping strategies differ from one individual to the next. You will learn about the difference between adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. You will also learn about the difference between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, and how to implement relaxation techniques to help you cope with stress. <br /><br />This course will be of great interest to all learners who would like to learn techniques for dealing with personal stress. <br />